Savannah man tries to evade trooper in Bluffton

Authorities say a 26-year-old Savannah man who was armed and who tried to run from police while in Bluffton has been arrested.

James Samuel Harris Jr. is accused of trying to evade a trooper Wednesday night after the officer tried to pull him over for speeding, according to Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Bob Beres.

Around 8:41 p.m. Wednesday, a trooper spotted a 2007 Nissan speeding on Bluffton Road (S.C. 46) near U.S. 278. When the trooper tried to stop the vehicle, the driver "drove in the wrong direction," Beres said. The Nissan continued on and stopped on Shults Road. The driver jumped out with a gun in his hand, Beres said. The man threw the gun into the bushes and ran for a quarter of a mile before being caught by the trooper, Beres said.

The gun was later found.

Harris is charged with failure to stop for blue lights, failure to have S.C. driver's license, reckless driving, unlawful possession of a firearm, fleeing to evade and providing false information to officers, according to the Beaufort County's online jail log.

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